Neva: Everything We Know

The 2023 PlayStation Showcase event revealed an impressive list of upcoming games. Among them is Neva, a new action-adventure game from developer Nomada Studio. The announcement came in the form of the first reveal trailer, which, I have to say, doesn’t reveal much, at least compared to the other reveals made that day. So many questions linger about the game’s release date, story, gameplay, and more. And while some of the details about the new game remain sketchy, we’ve managed to come up with a few facts of our own. Read on to find out more about our deep-dive overview of Neva: everything we know.

What is Neva?

Neva is an upcoming action-adventure game from the team behind the critically acclaimed, platform-adventure, GRIS. The two games are nearly identical. They’re both emotionally charged and tell pretty evocative stories. The main thread spanning nearly all GRIS reviews was the moving tale told about loss and grief. Now, it seems Neva is here to carry GRIS’ legacy forward, with an equally tactfully-delivered support with gorgeous-looking, handcrafted cinematic motion pictures.

Story

Neva features a young woman called Alba who adopts a wolf pet after a traumatic event. Soon, they set forth on a thrilling yet perilous adventure across a previously beautiful world, now gradually dying around them. As they grow and mature over time, they form a coveted lifelong bond with one another. They learn to trust each other and to work together against dark forces. 

The decaying world treats them harshly. It’s overwhelming at times to keep pressing on. When faced with dangerous encounters, they help one another overcome them. At some points, they have to make life-altering decisions, with the sole goal being to survive. Through it all, the wolf evolves from a rebellious pet into an imposing adult, while Alba struggles to discover her own identity. In each other, they make a new home, and in the end, they form a strong love and commitment to each other that blooms into an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.

Gameplay

The stand-out feature in Neva, just like in GRIS before it, is the striking, handcrafted visuals Nomada Games is slowly learning to perfect. GRIS is popular for stealing many hearts. Now, it looks like Neva is on the same path to telling a more emotionally-charged story.

Based on the trailer, there may be swordplay. However, it doesn’t reveal much to know whether swordplay is a core part of the gameplay or simply part of the narration. Also, the trailer uses no words, just like GRIS. Instead, using a sad musical tone for most of the trailer’s entirety. 

For now, the only thing to go by is Neva’s sole focus on telling an emotional story. Otherwise, we can speculate that Neva may follow in its predecessor’s footsteps and adopt a light, puzzling, platform-based gameplay as GRIS did. Perhaps players will travel to different locations, collect various valuables, and fight evil. It’s a slightly different route than most modern games, but definitely one I wouldn’t mind playing on Neva too.

Development

Neva is an upcoming game from the same team that developed GRIS, Nomada Studio. Also, similar to GRIS, Neva will be published by Developer Digital. GRIS is popular for its unique art style that uses color and visual metaphor to tell an evocative story. All signs indicate Neva will do something similar, telling an emotional story set in a fantasy, dying world. 

In GRIS, players need to brave the five stages of grief following the player Gris and his life after the passing of his mother. Perhaps Neva will also include thought-provoking themes and high-stakes life-altering choices. In the trailer, Alba’s wolf companion dies. So, the story will definitely adopt a similar sad tone and take a turn for the worse. Overall, what’s clear is that Nomada Studio has proven itself to engage players in deeply-captivating stories, so Neva likely won’t be any different.

Trailer

Neva’s trailer came hand-in-hand with the first official announcement at the 2023 PlayStation Showcase event. Right off the bat, Neva looks utterly gorgeous. It’s just as arty as GRIS and seems to also adopt the same wordless style of storytelling. The visuals look painterly. 

At the start, there is lush greenery amid a purple mountain landscape. A serene musical tone plays in the background as a blackbird falls from the sky. Black flowers bloom from it, ushering in Alba and her pet wolf cub. The cub grows into a magnificent sight with glorious antlers. As a dark cloud lays waste to everything it touches, Alba draws out her sword, her wolf by her side. They brave through dark forces, falling one too many times, but finding the strength to press on. In the end, the wolf succumbs to a mass of torturous demon hands. She lies, helplessly dying, on the ground. Alba weeps for her as a young cub slowly crawls into her arms and comforts her.

That’s Neva’s trailer in a nutshell. No words. No spectacle in the combat, per se. It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly these events mean for the game itself, whether it’s a brief overview of the whole story or just the premise. Regardless, it’s a catchy reveal trailer that definitely ignites an insatiable need to know more.

Feel free to watch the reveal trailer above.

Release Date, Editions & Platforms

For now, we can confirm that Neva will release sometime in 2024, according to the reveal trailer. However, an actual release date is yet to be confirmed. 

Neva is set to launch on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC consoles. While GRIS has mobile ports on iOS and Android devices, it’s not yet confirmed whether Neva will have the same. 

There’s also no confirmation on the editions available yet, but be sure to keep track of any new updates on Neva’s official handle here.

So, what's your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Neva when it drops? Let us know your thoughts on our socials here.